.. by Raza Muhammad Khan

Every year, the nation pays rich tributes to those who offered sacrifices to defend Pakistan during Indian aggression in September 1965. On this day, we also pay homage to other martyrs and heroes, who struggled and offered their lives for our freedom; from Partition to the present day. We also renew our perspectives about the value of our freedom, how we gained it and why must we preserve it. These are summarized in four momentous events of our history, i.e. The Partition of Sub-Continent and the 1948 Kashmir War; The 1965 War; The 1971 War; and the blowbacks of foreign occupation of Afghanistan. At the time of the Partition, India was to transfer Rs5.6 billion to Pakistan as part of division of assets, which wasn’t honored and are still pending. Out of 36% of Pakistan’s share of military assets, India dispatched only two percent. Out of this, major weapons and equipment like tanks, guns, and transport vehicles, aero planes and ammunition were never received. Of the 420,000 soldiers in the combined Indian armed forces, Pakistan took only 15,000, mostly lower ranking soldiers and non -combatants.

At the time, key ministers, and senior military officers used packing material comprising wooden boxes, as their tables and had practically no filling system. Thus, it appeared that Mountbatten and Nehru were determined to make Pakistan a weak and feeble state, at the mercy of India. Bereft of money and wherewithal to defend ourselves, the birth of Pakistan was attended by a holocaust unprecedented in history. Consequently, a million defenseless people were mercilessly butchered by Hindu and Sikh mobs and about 10 to 12 million were displaced from their homes. In the same time frame, India commenced annexation of Kashmir. It was under these circumstances that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad stated on 28 Dec 1947 ‘We are passing through a period of fear, danger, and menace. We must have faith, unity and discipline.’ Later, during his address to an Army unit in Karachi in Feb, 1948, he cautioned: …although the battle of Pakistan’s freedom had been won, a grimmer battle to preserve it was still in progress and that battle had to be fought to a successful conclusion…’. Two months later, Pakistan was pushed into the Kashmir War.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir, was expected to accede to Pakistan on account of its 77% Muslim majority and its geographical, cultural and commercial links to West Pakistan. But India claimed that the Hindu ruler had acceded to it on 26 October 1947. However, in her book titled, ‘Kashmir in Conflict’, Victoria Scofield, indicated in 2010, that Maharaja Hari Singh, did not sign any Instrument of Accession as claimed by India; yet on the basis of some ghost document, India started air- transportation of its Army into the Sri Nagar Valley, On 27 October, 1947. By Apr 1948, it had assembled more than twelve brigades force in Kashmir, supported by artillery, tanks and air force. Observing this, Quaid asked the officiating C-in- C Pakistan Army, General Gracey to prevent it, however, he ignored this order, though from the Indian side, the aggression was initially led by the British General Scott. As the build-up of Indian forces continued, Pakistan Army units were hurriedly organized and equipped with local weaponry and simultaneously, Pakistan National Guards were raised from ex-servicemen and other volunteers. With these rag-tag forces, Tribal Lashkars and Kashmiri fighters, Indian efforts to seize the whole of Kashmir was effectively halted at the Ceasefire Line (now Line of Control), which was later held from April 1948 with support of a few regular Pakistan Army units, sans air or logistic support. By December 1948, Pakistani forces were poised to dislodge the Indian occupation, however, at midnight on 30 December, India asked for a ceasefire through UNO, to become effective on 1 January 1949. Pakistan accepted this, as the fate of Jammu and Kashmir had been taken over by the UNO.

The following are excerpts from the UNSC Resolution 47 (1948) on Kashmir (document s/726) : ‘….India should …. hold a plebiscite as soon as possible on the question of the accession of the State to India or Pakistan.’ Pakistan sacrificed 1,500 soldiers and unknown number of Tribesmen and Kashmiris during this war, to retain roughly two-fifths of Kashmir. 1965 War. The events from Jan 1949 to 1964 were a prelude to the 1965 War. Nehru kept repeating Mount Batten’s pledge, given in October 1947, that notwithstanding Maharaja Hari Singh’s accession to India, the future of Kashmir would be decided through a plebiscite as decided by the UN. He promised to implement the UNSC resolutions in his numerous written official exchanges with PM Liaqat Ali Khan too. However, in reality, instead of honouring the UNSC Resolutions for a plebiscite, India continued to consolidate its hold on Kashmir, through a number of legal, political, administrative and military actions. These included the removal of Shaikh Abdullah as CM in 1953, and appointment of Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad, as the puppet head of the constituent assembly of Kashmir, which ratified Hari Singh’s phony accession to India and declared Kashmir as an integral part of India through its constitution in 1957. In response, Pakistan called for a meeting of the UNSC in 1964 to protest against and reverse these measures. In that meeting, due to the support of the Soviet Union, all efforts by Pakistan went in vain as these were either vetoed or abandoned because of the threat of Soviet veto.

Soon after the death of Nehru in Jun 1964 and within 6 months of the formation of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Government, India made Articles 356 of her constitution applicable to Kashmir. This Article empowered the Indian head of State to dismiss the State government at his will (a provision to impose Governor’s rule in IHK 8 times, till 2018, that still prevails). While Pakistan rejected these measures, they also lead to uprising, insurgency and rebellion in Kashmir. India reacted with quelling the uprising and intense shelling of Pakistani areas across the LoC. Frustrated by failure of every other effort to prevent Indian actions, Pakistan, on the request of Kashmiri leaders, provided limited material and physical support to the freedom fighters in Kashmir. The aim was to pressurise India to hold plebiscite in Kashmir, according to UNSC Resolutions. However, past midnight on 5/6 September, without a formal declaration of war, the Indian Army crossed the international border and attacked in the Lahore, Sialkot, Kasur and Suleimanki sectors. Despite numerical inferiority, the Pakistan Army and Air Force halted all these attack in their tracks, inflicting heavy casualties on the aggressor. The biggest tank battle since World War II was fought at Chawinda, that almost destroyed an Indian Armoured division, comprising 150 tanks. Later, in a series of counter offensives, the Pakistan Army penetrated inside the Indian territory in Khem Karan, capturing more territory than the Indian Army did in Sialkot. This compelled India to consider abandoning Amritsar, to save its army from surrender. The IAF was five times larger than the PAF destroyed 60 Indian aircraft, including 25 in air combat. This was an impressive result. On 7 September a single PAF Pilot, Squadron Leader M.M. Alam, shot down six IAF aircraft in a single sortie. That is still an unbeaten world record. Also, a lone PN submarine, PNS Ghazi, kept the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikrant besieged in Bombay throughout the war. Like the past, India begged for a ceasefire, arranged by the UN on 23 September 1965. In this war, over 3800 soldiers laid their lives to defend Pakistan.

The enemy losses were much higher. The outcome of this war sent strong messages to the world and to India: that Kashmir was a disputed area needing resolution; that Pakistanis were ready to shed blood to protect its vital interests and that despite its numerical and material superiority, India couldn’t defeat Pakistan, when it stood united. From 1966 to 1971, Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi worked on dismembering Pakistan with the help of the Soviet Union. 1971 was the most tragic year in Pakistan's history, with political crises, conflict and disunity. Recall the1970 elections in Pakistan, in which the Awami League of Mujib won 167 of 169 seats from East Pakistan and thus secured a majority in the 313 member Parliament. The PPP won the majority in W Pakistan but no seat in E Pakistan. Mujib presented his Six Points to the President of Pakistan, as the basis of formation of his government, but four of these were clearly secessionist : ‘The federal government shall be responsible for foreign affairs and defense only; Provinces to have their own currency and separate fiscal accounts; Taxation would occur only at provincial level, with federal government funded by grants; Provinces could control their own earning of foreign exchange and raise their own militia or paramilitary forces’. These demands were communicated to the President who consulted the opposition leader Mr. Bhutto in W Pakistan. The latter rejected these and refused to attend the meeting of the National Assembly called at Dacca for formation of government. Mujib reacted by declaring independence from Pakistan on 23 Mar 1971, that caused widespread insurgency in E Pakistan, after the arrest of Mujib.

Rebellion was covertly and overtly aided by Indian trained infiltrators and India's Border Security Forces. The East Pakistan Rifles, a potent paramilitary force, like our Rangers defected to the rebels. When a civil war started in East Wing, despite serious limitations and impediments, the Pakistani armed forces restored 80% normalcy there. But in August 1971, India signed a twenty-year Treaty with the Soviet Union. One of the treaty's clauses stated that each nation was expected to come to the assistance of the other in the event of a war. Thereafter, India organized, trained, and provided sanctuary to the Mukti Bahini (Bengali) rebels and terrorists. From August till November, India concentrated and encircled East Pakistan with about 400,000 regular army personnel in 12 divisions, supported by 250 tanks, 120 aircraft and bulk of the Indian Navy. These forces, were fully supported by the Soviet Union and further strengthened by about 1,00,000 Bengali rebels, on the behest of Mujib, who attacked East Pakistan from all directions from inside and on 20 fronts across the international border on, 21 November, the Eid Day, once again, without a formal declaration of war. To stop this Pakistan could barely approximately 32,000 troops, most of whom did not have the support of heavy weapons.

The PAF had only one squadron of 14, F-86 planes and only one operational airfield with one low looking radar. The Pakistan Navy had only a few gunboats and a destroyer. Thus, India had more than 8:1 superiority in ground forces, 11:1 in air force and close to 12:1 in the Navy. As the Indian navy had blockaded our ports in East Pakistan and prevented over flights of PIA inside Indian territory, timely reinforcements to our troops were impossible. Meanwhile, many East Pakistani officers serving in all the three services in both Wings had deserted, some of whom disclosed all our defensive plans to the Indians in East as well as West Pakistan. The logistic and support services of the armed forces comprised 80 to 90 percent East Pakistanis, whose loyalties had become doubtful by Nov 1971. On the other hand, due to its military alliance with the Soviet Union, India had substantial supplies of sophisticated weapons, equipment’s and aircraft. To this must be added the fact that the Pakistani troops had been continuously involved in flood relief and counter insurgency operations for the previous 8 months. Earlier, a devastating cyclone had caused 500,000 deaths in East Pakistan. Our troops were overstretched not only along the borders which the Indians were continuously violating and shelling but also against the Mukti Bahini and Indian trained guerillas in the rear areas. Intense fighting raged till 16 December in both Pakistan's wings; but no town or battalion position could be overrun, till that date. Earlier, on 6 Dec, the US introduced Resolution 303 in the UNSC, calling for a cease-fire and the withdrawal of armed forces by India and Pakistan to their original positions. It was vetoed by the Soviet Union. Another UNSC Resolution 2793, was passed by the General Assembly the next day, calling for only a cease fire. This was rejected by India but accepted by Pakistan; a decision that was perfidiously interpreted as surrender in East Pakistan, by Indian and Soviet machinations.

To relieve pressure against E Pakistan, on the evening of 3 December, the Pakistani army launched some preliminary ground operations in Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan areas. In Kashmir, the operations were concentrated on two key points, Punch and Chhamb. The Chhamb area witnessed intense battle where we forced the Indians to abandon their positions. In other parts of Kashmir, the Indians made small gains along the cease-fire line. Indian counteroffensive came in the Sialkot-Shakargarh area, south and west of Chhamb. There, two Pakistani tank regiments, confronted and stopped an Indian Armored Division. By 12 Dec, Pakistan was poised to launch a major ground offensive with its reserves, in West Pakistan, inside Indian territory in southern Punjab. This offensive had the potential of success and to force Indians forces to recoil from Pakistan. However, it wasn’t launched as the government had accepted the UN Ceasefire Resolution earlier and the US had advised Pakistan, not to escalate the war. Approximately 6000 soldiers were martyred in E Pakistan that included 360 officers; while 26,000 soldiers were taken as prisoners, to fight on another day. About 2000 soldiers also laid down their lives on the Western front. Being the aggressor, Indian losses in men and material were much higher, however these remains hidden, like in other wars. Even Indian officers conceded the personal bravery of the spirited fight put up by the Pakistanis in the East. That the troops fought so well against such overwhelming odds is a credit both to them, and to their spirit of sacrifice.

There is also much for Pakistan to come to terms with what happened in 1971. But the answers don’t lie in unthinking vilification of the fighting men who performed so well in the war against such heavy odds in defence of Pakistan. Actually, in failing to honour them, the nation dishonors itself. In 1979, when the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, Pakistan strongly opposed it. As a consequence, it suffered in many ways for nine years of the occupation and as a result of the civil war inside Afghanistan for another ten years, even after the Soviet withdrawal. In retaliation for Pakistan's assistance to the Mujahedeen, the Soviet military, KGB and Afghanistan’s KHAD, supported by Indian RAW, carried out, bombing and shelling of Pakistani border areas and sabotage operations inside Pakistan due to which, 5000 people were martyred. In April 1988, an ammunition depot near Islamabad was blown up by these hostile agencies, killing 100 and injuring more than 1000 civilians. Pakistan took nearly 3,000, 000 Afghan refugees fleeing the Soviet occupation. As containing or controlling these refugees at one place was impossible, they spread into all regions of Pakistan. Many never went back. All of this had a heavy impact on Pakistan economy, as well as security.

After the events of 9/11, in September 2001, the US and its allies occupied Afghanistan for over 20 years. The blow back of this state was felt most severely by Pakistan, as close to 75,000 people including army, police, and civilians were martyred. These include 132 schoolchildren, and 22 teachers at APS Peshawar. From 2001 till 2018, Pakistan’s direct and indirect revenue losses on account of the fight against terrorists and extremists were over 126 billion dollars. The people of Pakistan have suffered severe hardships and have offered unprecedented sacrifices due to the unresolved Kashmir Issue, Indian aggression, instability in Afghanistan and domestic violence caused by acts of extremism and terrorism. It is unfortunate that this predicament in not well understood or acknowledged by the international community. It is also vital that the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN Resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiris. The Afghan government, mustn’t allow TTP, BLA, BLP and other terrorists to squat comfortably in their country and spread chaos in Pakistan.

The US also needs to end its policy of encouraging expansion of Indian foot print in Afghanistan and ignoring the issue of Kashmir. Unless the US and the affluent world compensates Pakistan for its losses and actively assists and supports it, Pakistan will be unable to play its role of ensuring peace and stability in South Asia- a role that could serve the vital interests of the whole world. Pakistan faces an array of challenges that might define the way how we will live in the 21st century. But as described above, we have successfully met and overcome even graver trials and tribulations in the past, to defend our ourselves and our national interests with, our traditional spirit of valour, sacrifice, resilience, faith, unity and discipline. May The Almighty rest in eternal peace, the souls of all those who gave their lives for the defence of Pakistan, and may they continue to rejoice in the bounties provided by Allah. Finally, today, we must rededicate ourselves to the causes of liberty, peace, and prosperity of Pakistan and its people. .. The author is the Former President of NDU
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